Beckman Coulter Acquires Cytometer Maker Xitogen

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Beckman Coulter Life Sciences has agreed to acquire flow cytometer developer Xitogen Technologies together with Cytojene. The acquisition includes fully staffed facilities in Suzhou and Dalian, China, which will function as research and development and manufacturing centers for Beckman Coulter.

Although financial details were not disclosed, Xitogen’s founder Yong Chen, Ph.D., said he is “excited about the prospects created by having access to [Beckman Coulter’s] sales and distribution channels.”

In addition to providing an operational base in the China market, Xitogen will provide Beckman Coulter with a research instrument to round out their cytometry offering. Xitogen developed the XTG-1600, a small footprint cytometer that can detect objects in the 100 nanometer range—viruses, bacteria, microparticles, and cell organelles—for basic research investigations. The base single-laser/four-channel system can be incrementally expanded to a three-laser/16-channel configuration.

“Having an operational base in the growing Asian market will enable us to provide timely service to customers in that region,” said Mario Koksch, vice president and general manager of the Cytometry Business Unit for Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. “Adding this technology and intellectual property to our existing portfolio means we can extend our reach from clinical diagnostics through clinical research and further into basic research.”

Beckman Coulter offers a line of cellular analysis products, including Navios and FC 500 clinical cytometers, the Gallios and CyAn research cytometers, and the MoFlo XDP and Astrios EQ cell sorters. Other products include sample preparation systems, Kaluza software and a full line of fluorescently labeled antibodies and associated support products.